Where to stay in Aurlandsvangen
Most rooms sit in the compact village itself. Beds in Aurlandsvangen gather along the shore where the Aurlandselvi flows into the Aurlandsfjorden, within a short walk of the stone Vangen kirke, the quay, and the start of the road that climbs toward the Stegastein viewpoint. Stay here for the fjord.
If you want the railway and the boat traffic, the village of Flåm lies about ten kilometres southwest down the E16, and many travellers split a trip between the two, basing themselves in Aurlandsvangen for the quiet evenings and riding the Flåmsbana by day. The smaller hamlet of Undredal, with its tiny Undredal stavkirke, sits a few kilometres northwest toward the Nærøyfjord and holds a handful of rooms for those who want to be deeper in the fjord arm. Beds fill quickly in summer.
Book the warm months well ahead, because this end of Aurland keeps only a modest stock of lodging for the steady flow of fjord and railway visitors.
Things to do in Aurlandsvangen
Ranked by global recognition; descriptions from Wikidata (CC0).
Churches & Religious Sites
- Undredal stavkirke Heritage-listed
- Flåm kirke Heritage-listed — church building in Aurland
- Vangen kirke — stone church at Aurlandsvangen, Aurland municipality
Stadiums & Sports
- Aurland Stadion — sports venue in Aurland
Landmarks & Notable Places
- Flåmsbana — railway line in Aurland
About Aurlandsvangen
What is Aurlandsvangen known for?
The fjord road and the railway define it. Aurlandsvangen serves as the administrative center of Aurland, and travellers reach it for the dizzy Stegastein viewpoint that juts out high above the Aurlandsfjorden and for the Flåmsbana that climbs the valley from nearby Flåm. People also come for the stone Vangen kirke in the village and the staved Undredal stavkirke a short way down the fjord.
It sits in the eastern part of Vestland.
What are the main landmarks in Aurlandsvangen?
Stegastein is the headline sight. The viewing platform reaches out from the mountainside high over the Aurlandsfjorden, looking straight down on Aurlandsvangen far below. In the village stands the stone Vangen kirke, while the wooden Undredal stavkirke keeps watch over the hamlet of Undredal down the fjord and the small Flåm kirke marks the valley to the southwest.
From Flåm the Flåmsbana railway climbs the steep slope, one of the steepest standard-gauge lines anywhere in Vestland.
What is the history of Aurlandsvangen?
Aurlandsvangen has always lived by the fjord. Its settlement grew on the flat ground where the Aurlandselvi spills into the Aurlandsfjorden, a sheltered landing on the inner reach of the fjord system that draws toward the famous Nærøyfjord just to the northwest. Worship came early.
The stone Vangen kirke marks the old centre of devotion for the farms scattered up the Aurlandselvi valley, and the wooden Undredal stavkirke down the fjord counts among the smallest stave churches in the country, a survivor from the medieval era of these fjord settlements. For most of its life the place looked to the water for travel and trade, since the steep walls of the Aurlandsfjorden left little level land and tied each hamlet to the boat. Rail and road then changed the rhythm.
When the Flåmsbana was driven up the valley from Flåm and the modern highway reached over the mountain past Stegastein, Aurlandsvangen became a stop on one of the great fjord routes of Vestland rather than an isolated farming shore. It stays the seat of Aurland. This village holds the administration for a municipality whose fame rests on the Nærøyfjord, the viewpoint, and the climbing railway.
Where is Aurlandsvangen?
Aurlandsvangen lies in the eastern part of Vestland, on the east side of the Aurlandsfjorden. It stands on the delta where the Aurlandselvi river leaves its steep valley and enters the fjord, hemmed in by mountain walls that rise sharply on either side and leave only a thin strip of level shore. Mountains crowd in.
Just to the northwest the fjord branches toward the narrow Nærøyfjord, while the hamlet of Undredal clings to the shore between. Above hangs Stegastein. The village of Flåm sits down the water to the southwest, past the slopes the railway climbs.
What is the climate of Aurlandsvangen?
The fjord walls shape the weather. Aurlandsvangen sits deep inside the Aurlandsfjorden, far from the open coast, so the surrounding mountains shelter the village and give it drier, more settled spells than the exposed outer shore of Vestland tends to see. Winters run cold in the inner valley.
Snow gathers on the heights above Stegastein while the Aurlandselvi keeps the valley floor green through the milder summer months, when the fjord draws its steady stream of travellers.
How do you get to Aurlandsvangen?
The E16 brings most arrivals. Aurlandsvangen sits on the European route E16, which runs over the mountain past the Stegastein viewpoint and on through Aurland, linking the village to Lærdalsøyri to the northeast and to Flåm down the fjord to the southwest. Boats also call along the Aurlandsfjorden.
Many travellers ride the Flåmsbana up from Flåm or take a fjord cruise toward the Nærøyfjord, joining the village to the wider routes of Vestland by rail and water as well as road.